The present disclosure relates to rotating electrical machines such as high speed starter generators for gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a terminal board assembly used to transmit electrical energy therefor.
An aircraft may include various types of rotating electrical machines such as, for example, generators, motors, and starter/generators. Starter/generators may be operated as either a starter or a generator.
The electrical power output from, or supplied to, the starter-generator may be communicated via one or more terminal assemblies. Each terminal assembly may include feedthroughs that are coupled to stator output leads within the generator housing and to a terminal block assembly outside of the generator housing.
Terminal assemblies are designed to provide various clearances, such as “strike” performance, breakthrough performance and creepage performance. Creepage is typically the shortest path between two conductive components or between a conductive component and a bounding surface measured along the surface of the insulating material. A proper and adequate creepage distance protects against tracking, a process that produces a partially conducting path of localized deterioration on the surface of the insulating material as a result of electric discharges on or close to an insulation surface. In some instances, collection of foreign object debris near the terminal assembly may potentially affect performance with regards to clearance and creepage.